With the explosion of interest in solar energy, numerous devices have been provided which are specific to one aspect of solar or wind energy recoupment. However, inasmuch as the quality of a solar or wind system is largely dependent on the area and volume that it occupies, it is advantageous that other, perhaps secondary, sources of energy which are available at the site of the principal energy transducer device be taken advantage of.
These secondary sources are, for example, the solar energy that falls on the vanes of a wind rotor, which ordinarily serves no useful function; the friction of the rotor itself on its bearings, again generally wasted; updrafts caused by flat plate collectors which, no matter how efficient, conduct considerable heat to the ambient air causing hot spots; and, in addition, the heat generated in the vanes of a wind rotor from solar and other sources.